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"I think Tottenham is always a good team," he added. "It's always a difficult team, they want to win, it doesn't matter if it's a day to keep in memory, the last match at their stadium, they are always a difficult team.

"They realised in the last half-an-hour our team had an immediate improvement when we brought two proper midfield players to the team that were fighting to keep the result in the last 20, 25 minutes. So that's positive for us.

"In the first-half or the first hour was a team that was more a group of players than a team playing not in their best positions, just trying to feel the needs of the team.

"So its's very difficult to organise the team, it's very difficult for the boys to play this way and because of my respect to them I don't rest more people because you cannot play against Arsenal, Man City or Southampton and play four or five players with four or five kids. It's not possible.

Blind will be rested at Southampton

"And these last five matches of the season, four very difficult matches away from home and we manage with this situation to keep some balance to fight for the result, to give a positive image of dignity. And today we could get a better result."

It is mathematically impossible for United to finish fourth in the Premier League now but Mourinho was not overly concerned.

"I am not upset because we had to make that decision," he reiterated. " When people say we gamble, we didn't gamble, we didn't choose the Europa League - we had to do it.